IPL 2025: Why Chennai Super Kings’ season is all but over

Dubai: Six games left. Bottom of the table. A long shot at the play-offs. Chennai Super Kings have been here before — but this time, even Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s calm and Kasi Viswanathan’s optimism might not be enough.

The five-time champions sit at the foot of the table with just four points. Mathematically, they’re still in it. Realistically, a spot in the top four looks out of reach. And even their captain seems to know it.

A message of optimism

“We’ll try hard to qualify for the play-offs,” Dhoni said, “and if not, we’ll prepare a good team for the next season.”

It was a frank admission — rare from Thala (leader) — and it stood in contrast to CEO Kasi Viswanathan’s hopeful message to fans during a recent event in Chennai.

“All of you will be a little bit disappointed with the performance of CSK this year,” Viswanathan said. “We know we are not playing good cricket as of now. But we hope that in the coming matches, we should be able to do better.”

Gaping holes in the armoury

He also looked back at 2010 — when CSK lost five matches in a row before turning it around to win their first IPL title. “We remember the year 2010… I am sure the boys are committed. The team is committed.”

But this is 2025. And the gaps in Chennai’s game are harder to ignore.

They have already lost six of their first eight games, three of them at Chepauk — once considered a fortress. That leaves them with just three home matches out of the six remaining, and hardly any margin for error.

Batting lacks firepower

Then there’s the Dhoni factor. In 2010, he was a sharp, quick-thinking leader with fast hands and even faster feet. In 2025, aged 43 and just months after knee surgery, he’s a different player — visibly limited in his movement and choosing not to risk runs he once would have stolen with ease.

Most concerning, though, is the lack of firepower in Chennai’s batting line-up.

Regular skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad — Chennai’s most consistent batter in recent seasons — has been ruled out for the remainder of the season, dealing a massive blow to their top-order. That has opened the door for Dewald Brevis.

Once touted as the next big thing after a standout Under-19 World Cup in 2022, Brevis has struggled to break into the South African senior side. He’s played just two T20Is and isn’t part of the Proteas set-up currently. But he’s been in red-hot domestic form — finishing as the second-highest run-scorer in both South Africa’s one-day and first-class competitions and smashing 38 off 18 balls in the SA20 final to help MI Cape Town win their maiden title.

Chennai need that version of Brevis — and fast. Because right now, Shivam Dube is doing most of the heavy lifting. The left-hander, who has carried the middle order for much of the season, sits 18th in the Orange Cap standings. The next Chennai batter on the list is Rachin Ravindra, in 31st.

Sunrisers test on Friday

Numbers don’t lie. Chennai’s batting has been underwhelming, and opposition teams have started to find ways to keep Dube quiet.

If Brevis can find form, Chennai could still salvage a few wins — starting with their home clash against a struggling Sunrisers Hyderabad at home on Friday. But a top-four finish? That feels like a dream, not a plan.

As a hard-core Chennai fan, the truth stings. But I hope the five-time champions prove me wrong.